For the past seven years, Raglan photographer Nami Hampe has captured more than 1,000 women through her lens. With her new non-profit photography project “Bullied to Beautiful,” Nami is giving women who have experienced bullying a space to reclaim their narratives. Annika caught up with Nami ahead of the photoshoot on 12 September to find out what inspired the project, and how the local community can get involved.
What is your new project “Bullied to Beautiful” all about?
“Bullied to Beautiful” is a creative photography project featuring women who were, or still are, bullied because of their appearance, ethnicity, or behaviour. It’s about giving them a space to share their story and be photographed exactly as they are, so every woman involved feels empowered to embrace what makes her unique. I want to raise awareness around bullying, both in real life and online.
What inspired you to start the project?
Honestly? This idea didn’t come from me sitting down and strategizing it. It came to me late one night, in prayer. I connect with God every evening, and this project just arrived, I felt like it was handed to me rather than built by me. It might sound a bit strange and I feel quite vulnerable to speak this out loud, but I’ve learned not to question those moments. So, I just said yes and let it unfold from there.
You’ve already spoken to 16 women. What have you learned from hearing their stories?
How much these women carry quietly. Every story is different, but there’s a common thread: so many of them spent years thinking they were the only ones who felt this way. Hearing them speak it out loud, sometimes for the first time, has been one of the most humbling parts of this whole process. It had me in tears more than once…
Can you share one story that stuck with you?
There’s no single story, because all 16 have stayed with me in different ways. One woman was bullied in the navy for being a woman, for being pretty, for having a big heart that loved everyone too openly. One woman has been called a terrorist since she was seven years old, simply for being visibly Muslim. As a child, she was told she couldn’t be a princess in a face-painting game because she was brown. Another told me her own mother picked apart everything about her: her skin, her voice, her laugh, her hair, even her feet…
Every one of these women carried something heavy for years, sometimes decades, and still showed up to share it with me. I don’t take that lightly.
What does “reclaiming your story” mean to you?
For so long, the story a bully wrote about you is the one you carry; that you’re too much, not enough, somehow wrong. Reclaiming it means deciding you’re the one who gets to tell it now.
That’s what I hope this project gives these women: a moment where the story finally moves, from something they’ve been hiding, into something they’re owning. That’s where the healing actually starts.
What can the women expect from the photoshoot on12 September?
The whole day is completely soul-led. I don’t have a rigid plan; I’m trusting it to unfold naturally. We’ll be at the beach in Raglan, and each woman will be photographed in her own way, in whatever she chooses to wear, whether that’s her favourite outfit or something culturally significant to her.
How can locals get involved?
I’d love for anyone in the Raglan community who wants to support the project to reach out. That could be a videographer wanting to be part of the day, a local florist wanting to provide flowers for the women, any local businesses wanting to give these vulnerable and brave women a little gift or token, or someone wanting to bring down some snacks or refreshments for everyone. This project is completely non-profit, but anyone wanting to contribute in any way is so welcome to.
What do you hope people in Raglan take away from the project?
That bullying doesn’t always look like what we expect, and it doesn’t stop at childhood. I hope people walk away with more compassion, and I hope the women themselves walk away feeling like their story mattered to someone.
I hope it reminds us all, to choose our words with kindness. We never truly know what someone might carry from something we say. Embracing differences starts in community. It’s about looking after each other.
